He didn’t need to say those things now, because he already knew her answer. Her welcoming kiss had told him that much. But he had to ask, “Will you do that, Keira? Will you trust me enough to have my children?”
She looked at him with that solemn expression he knew so well, then smiled her slow smile. It was like a Wyoming sunrise coming up to meet the day—soft, warm, unique. And full of promise. “I will.”
Epilogue
Cody sat on the porch steps of his cabin near Granite Peak, waiting for the sunrise. He loved the early morning in the mountains, always had. There was something fresh and clean and untouched about it, the morning air crisp and cool even in the middle of summer, and he needed memories like these to carry him through the hectic days of his life in Denver.
The task force set up between the agency and the FBI had borne fruit. As he’d learned long ago, Keira was a tigress when she was working a case. And just as McKinnon had once said, research and analysis were her forte. She’d been relentless in uncovering Vishenko’s insidious web and documenting everything. There was no such thing as an airtight case, but they had compiled enough evidence for conviction of every major player in Vishenko’s organization, and quite a few of the minor ones.
The trials they would have to testify at were still months away. Delay after delay had been won by the defense teams, but the prosecution’s day in court was coming, and Cody could hardly wait. Not that they would ever truly be safe...just safer, once the convictions started piling up.
The creak of the front door opening behind him was followed by the faint whisper of footsteps, and a steaming mug of black coffee was set down beside him. Cody ignored the coffee, instead turning and reaching for Keira and drawing her down to sit between his legs. Only then did he pick up the cup and drink deeply, making an appreciative sound.
“Morning,” he said, putting the cup down and cradling Keira back against his body, breathing in the scent of her that never failed to arouse him—plain soap and water and warm woman. Very warm woman.
“Good morning,” she answered, cuddling back against him. He thought about turning her in his arms for a coffee-flavored kiss, but decided to wait for the sunrise—postponement of pleasure always made it sweeter in the end. Especially where Keira was concerned.
He slid his hands up her arms to rest on her shoulders, then gently kneaded the muscles on her right side until she sighed with contentment. “Thanks,” she breathed.
“Aching again?”
“Just a little. How did you know?”
“Been there, done that. Mornings are the worst. It will get better. Trust me, I know.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “And I do.”
Eleven months had passed since Keira had left her hospital bed. Ten and a half months since they had married in a private ceremony with her right arm still in a sling to keep her right side immobile while the healing process continued. But neither of them had wanted to wait.
Cody glanced down at the plain gold wedding band on Keira’s left hand, smaller than the one on his hand but identical in every other way. He remembered the moment he’d slid the ring on her finger, pledging his life to her and accepting the gift of her life in return. Two words were engraved inside both rings—I Will.
As Cody had known she would, Keira had accepted the job working for D’Arcy and the assignment to the Vishenko/NOANC/New World Militia task force. It had meant giving up McKinnon as her partner, and although it had made her sad at first, she had done it willingly...for his sake. If she regretted it, she’d never said a word to him. For the past nine months Cody had been running the Denver branch of the agency, most of that time without having to rely on advice from Baker Street. D’Arcy had been right—Cody couldn’t be him, but he had finally succeeded in making the job his.
Nine months, Cody thought, his hands tightening imperceptibly on Keira’s shoulders. Long enough to have a baby.
The sun peeked over the horizon to the east, and they watched in silence as the sky changed from indigo-blue to rosy pink with streaks of gold. Cody slid his hands beneath Keira’s arms and around her swelling waistline where his child lay nestled, safe and warm.